


Cuddle Duty

by Finely Honed (jaqen_hgar)



Series: Imagine Tony & Bucky [61]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Tony Stark, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Insecure Tony, M/M, Pining, Protective Steve Rogers, Sleep Deprivation, Sleepiness, Sleeping Tony, Sleepy Cuddles, Talk Science to Me Baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 18:17:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4930123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaqen_hgar/pseuds/Finely%20Honed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <span class="small">Sleep-deprived Tony is a cuddle monster that glomps onto the first person he finds. Bucky has a crush on Tony and tries to always make sure he is the first person sleep-deprived Tony finds, thinking a cuddle session is the only time he'll get to have the genius in his arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>The one thing no one had felt the need to warn him about was also the only thing for which he’d have actually appreciated a heads up. Tony liked to cuddle. Looking at him, you wouldn’t have pegged him as the cuddly type. Nothing about him looked cuddly. He wouldn’t let people hand him stuff, even with his improved mood he hung back half the time, as if he wasn’t part of the team. The other half he got so in your face some of them might have missed the hanging back.</p><p>Nothing prepared him for the sight of a zombie-like Tony staggering into the common area and latching onto Clint (of all people!) like a limpet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cuddle Duty

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [Cuddle Duty](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5106581) by [dianamiao](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dianamiao/pseuds/dianamiao), [Finely Honed (jaqen_hgar)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaqen_hgar/pseuds/Finely%20Honed)



When Bucky first moved into the Tower there were a handful of days where it was just him and Steve and what felt like endless hours of reading dossiers on all of the Avengers. He’d been (gently) poked and prodded and evaluated prior to arriving, given the Coulson stamp of approval (meaning he wouldn’t snap and kill them all in their sleep), then it was like being back in school, only he was majoring in The Modern World.

There were new words to learn, old words to forget. Everyone carried around little devices that reminded him of why he loved the old sci-fi serials. No flying cars (unless you were Coulson), but still plenty of technological advances that were equal parts familiar and unfamiliar. HYDRA had kept him up to date on anything that would come in handy on a mission, but other than that he was ignorant.

Steve wanted to make certain he got to know the people behind the dossiers, so he scheduled one on one time with each of the Avengers rather than throwing Bucky to the wolves. Each of them would help him along in his quest to become acclimated, which was actually much nicer than sitting with a computer and having his brains melt out his ears with information overload.

Sam took him clothes shopping; Clint took him on a bizarre bar hopping, “I spy” style scavenger hunt through the city; Steve called dibs on everything related to physical training; Bruce introduced him to some really solid sci-fi books and meditation; Natasha was his guide through the terrifying world of pop music, political correctness, and she also helped him delete all the extraneous garbage Clint had made him install on his phone; Thor introduced him to the alarming world of reality television; and Tony fixed his arm.

The Tony Stark part was, in a word, anticlimactic.

Tony had a reputation, and without fail he’d come up in conversation with each and every member of the Avengers. For some reason everyone seemed to think it really important to tell him Tony was bisexual, but mostly it was warnings like, “don’t be offended if…” usually followed by, “that’s just Tony. You get used to it.”

Bucky had been warned about Tony’s sense of humor, his ego, his lack of filter, his tendency to talk over or through you, his struggle with alcoholism, his gratingly loud music, his inability to keep his mouth shut in general, that he flirted on auto-pilot, kept odd hours, and demonstrated occasional recklessness in the field. But Steve had used words like, “larger than life,” and, “best friend,” and, “hero,” and anyone that Steve liked was okay in his books.

He’d Googled (one of his new words!) Tony prior to their meeting, and it hadn’t helped any with his nervousness. Howard’s boy (according to Steve, he wasn’t supposed to mention Howard) had quite the reputation. Smart, successful, attractive. Bit of a playboy. It was intimidating to finally meet the guy footing the bill for his food and shelter, the brain behind all the shiny tech that he was already finding himself addicted to.

But into the workshop of wonders he went, only to find an almost withdrawn Tony Stark. They’d made some polite small talk, Tony fixed an issue with his arm, and that was it. No flirting, no excitable Stark showing off his shiny tech and shinier cars. Bucky assumed it was him, except two days later the hot gossip in the Tower was that Tony’s ex, Pepper Potts, was in a new relationship. The subdued mood made a little more sense with that bit of information under his belt.

Everyone else seemed content to leave Tony alone, but Bucky was still waiting to see some sign of the person that has been described to him. So he tried again. And again. And each time he tried to engage Tony, he found himself on the receiving end of a look that seemed a touch bewildered. Maybe a bit suspicious, too.

“I can talk to Steve for you,” Tony offered one day.

“What’s that now?”

Tony made a strange, half hearted gesture between the two of them, his lips pressed into a thin, serious line. “So you don’t have to keep coming down here.”

Bucky’s eyes widened, surprised by how much the remark hurt. He knew he sounded defensive, and a bit too Brooklyn when he jumped to his feet and snapped off his reply, but  _jeez_. “Sorry, guess I shoulda realized I was buggin’ ya.”

“Wait, no. Stop.” Tony jumped up too, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You  _wanted_ to hang out with me?”

He wasn’t sure if he should still be insulted, or feel sorry for Tony. “Was hoping to get to know you, at least,” Bucky answered after careful consideration.

“Right.”

Only Tony was still looking at him like it was all part of an elaborate joke. Coming to a decision, Bucky sat back down on the couch, kicked up his feet. “Look, until you ask me to fuck off, I’m gonna keep coming down here. Might as well get used to it.”

This got him a laugh, at least. Tony’s nose scrunched up when he laughed, and he got little crinkles around his eyes, but it was a good look on him. Bucky could almost see a glimmer of the playfulness the other Avengers had described.

Things went a bit easier after that, Tony apparently warming to the idea of having him around once he knew Bucky was there willingly. Slowly, he got to see Tony’s sense of humor rear its head, the smiles and laughter made more frequent appearances, and he even got dragged into helping Tony rebuild a classic car he’d picked up. When Tony started making dick jokes with him, Bucky relaxed, and finally thought he knew what to expect from Tony.

His smile was pretty great, his mind even better, and Bucky began hanging around for different reasons. Like to watch the play of muscles in Tony’s arms as he worked on the armor, or to hear him sing along with his (admittedly sometimes grating) music. Or dance along, which was even better, because then Bucky could watch the wiggle of Tony’s hips, and it seemed less odd to notice how perfect his ass was.

Tony was fun, he was easy on the eyes, and Bucky cursed everyone for telling him Tony was bisexual. It meant that somewhere inside, he’d begun stockpiling hope that maybe Tony might possibly be interested in a different sort of relationship entirely. Which was stupid, really. Tony could do a lot better than the likes of him, and he wasn’t  _exactly_  what you would call experienced with fellas. Just interested— _very_  interested—in Tony helping him explore all of those impulses and desires he’d previously classified as dangerous. Despite there being a slim chance that Tony might feel the same way, Bucky tried to ignore his growing crush, and focused on a friendship instead.

Except.

The one thing no one had felt the need to warn him about was also the only thing for which he’d have actually appreciated a heads up. Tony liked to cuddle. Looking at him, you wouldn’t have pegged him as the cuddly type. Nothing about him looked cuddly. He wouldn’t let people hand him stuff, even with his improved mood he hung back half the time, as if he wasn’t part of the team. The other half he got so in your face some of them might have missed the hanging back.

Nothing prepared him for the sight of a zombie-like Tony staggering into the common area and latching onto Clint (of all people!) like a limpet. Especially since Tony climbed over the back of the couch and all but landed on top of Clint before wrapping his arms around him, face smooshed into the guy’s armpit.

“You’re gonna make me crash!” Clint wailed, trying to shake him off while still keeping his cart on the Rainbow Road.

Tony didn’t seem to care. His eyes were closed, and now that he was closer, Bucky could see how exhausted he looked. “Wait, are you and Tony…”

“No!” Clint tried to wriggle out of Tony’s grasp and got nowhere. “I got Stark Duty last time. Someone else take one for the team?”

Natasha sighed dramatically before uncurling from her chair, crossing the room with her book, and settling down on the opposite side of the couch. “Tony,” she said sharply, snapping her fingers.

Bucky watched in confusion as Tony released his grip on Clint, and flopped in the other direction, so that he wound up half draped on top of Natasha. More surprisingly, she made some adjustments, but then had an arm around him and her book resting atop his head so she could keep reading.

“What’s happening?”

Bruce sighed as he looked up from his cup of tea. “He does this when he’s exhausted. Latches on to the first person he finds.”

“Pepper had a memo about it,” Steve chimed in softly, “although I think Tony burned it. He was embarrassed the first time it happened, so we’ve all been careful not to tease. We’re all so used to it by now I’m guessing no one thought to warn you.”

As if to prove how used to it they were, everyone continued on as if everything was normal, while a dozing Tony snuggled Natasha until her legs began to fall asleep.

“Barnes, take over,” she ordered, crooking her finger to summon him.

Bucky felt his ears grow hot with embarrassment, because he was almost positive Natasha knew how much he envied her at the moment. Trying for a weary sigh, he got up, and helped her extract herself from Tony, quickly taking her place on the couch. Arms raised in the air, he watched in amazement as Tony’s eyes half opened, and he wriggled closer. Soon he had Tony’s hair tickling his nose, and a warm, mostly unconscious Stark snuggled up against his chest.

It took a lot of self control to keep from sighing contentedly, but Bucky managed. Just. Tony fit against him  _perfectly_ , so that when he let his arms settle into place he had to fight the impulse to grin, or kiss Tony’s forehead. Instead, he waited until it seemed like Tony was comfortable, then started rubbing little circles against his back.

An hour later, Tony seemed to realize what had happened, suddenly sitting upright fast enough that he knocked his head against Bucky’s chin. He might have let himself get too wrapped up in the snuggling, and had begun dozing off himself. There was a moment of potential awkwardness when Tony blinked at him owlishly while Bucky rubbed his chin, but then Tony just rubbed his eyes and yawned.

“Mm,” he grunted, rising to his feet and shuffling off to the elevators.

“Uh…”

“Just let him go. He’s on autopilot now,” Clint explained, tossing popcorn up into the air and catching it in his mouth. “He’ll go crash for a couple hours, then be back and fully caffeinated like nothing ever happened.”

Only that wasn’t exactly true. Tony did head off to sleep, and the next time he saw him Bucky could only assume he was caffeinated, but he wasn’t acting like nothing had happened. He was a bit… shy? Steve had mentioned Pepper, and embarrassment, and Bucky wondered if it made Tony feel vulnerable, knowing that when he reached a certain level of exhaustion his subroutines kicked in, revealing a need for human contact he normally was able to keep under wraps.

“Sorry, I got distracted when you said subroutines,” Tony answered. “Would it be weird if I had you read me one of Bruce’s magnificent contributions to the scientific community? Do me a favor—say anti-electron collisions!”

“Anti-electron collisions,” Bucky parrotted, low and gravelly and maybe a little more sexually charged than Tony had anticipated if his wide eyes and open mouth were any indication.

“Wow. Yes.”

Which didn’t  _actually_  answer his question, except that it sort of did. Tony went back to recalibrating the repulsors in his left gauntlet, while Bucky pondered the best way to go about making sure he was in a position to intercept the next time Tony reached the level of sleepy that resulted in snuggling.

“Nothing in my protocols explicitly forbids me from sharing this information,” JARVIS informed him, sounding somewhat hesitant.

Bucky looked up (Tony teased him about doing that when talking to JARVIS) and tried not to sound creepy or overwhelmingly pathetic. “The others act a bit like it’s a chore, but, um, I like it. It’s  _really_ nice.”

He must have convinced JARVIS his intentions were good, because two days later he received a cryptic alert, arrived at the specified location, and within a minute had a sleepy Tony walking into his arms and latching onto him. He mouthed “thank you” to the nearest camera while guiding Tony over to the couch, and getting comfortable.

From there on out, JARVIS made certain he was in a prime position to intercept whenever the cuddle zombie made an appearance, which meant he found himself in the strange position of being over the moon while simultaneously slightly miserable. Tony just felt amazing, as if he’d been sculpted to fit perfectly against Bucky’s body. He smelled good, too. Sometimes he’d be able to catch a faint whiff of Tony on his clothes after they disentangled themselves, and it was wonderfully maddening.

Each time he had to let go it was a little harder to do it. He kept telling himself that one of these days he was going to be brave enough to open his mouth and tell Tony how he felt, but whenever he went to do it the possibility of rejection left him cold and scared and tightlipped.

Naturally, Steve was the first to say something. “Can’t help but notice you’ve been on exclusive Cuddle Duty. Want to talk about it?” Bucky sighed, long and loud and longingly, and Steve gave him a sympathetic smile along with a shoulder squeeze. “That’s what I thought.”

“That obvious, huh?”

“To someone who knows you,” Steve answered, his smile sympathetic. “Look, while admittedly a handful at times, Tony is a great guy. He’s also… well. If you decide to give it a whirl, just make sure you’re serious first.”

Bucky studied the intense expression, the set of Steve’s jaw, and would have burst out laughing if his heart wasn’t racing with panic. “Are you giving me a shovel talk?”

“I’m simply stating—for the record—that it would be  _very bad_  if Tony had to go through another breakup. I’d suggest that if you’re just looking to explore your sexuality, or get back into the swing of things, you look elsewhere.”

Steve stared him down until Bucky let his expression shift, releasing the blank expression that seemed so easy to fall into since HYDRA had had their way with him. “I really like him, Stevie.”

The smile that spread across Steve’s face was quite the sight to behold. “So tell him. I think you’d be great together.”

Which was good in theory and all. Harder in practice. Tony snuggled anyone nearby. It was stupid to think he’d been enjoying himself as much as Bucky. Stupid to let himself think Tony belonged in his arms. He needed to stop being an idiot, get some perspective on the whole thing.

So, the next time JARVIS sent up the signal, Bucky hung back, maintaining his position in the kitchen as if his life depended on it. The living room was full of Avengers, Steve being the closest this time around. Tony wouldn’t go un-snuggled, which was good. He could just stay put, pretend he was actually still making his sandwich, and then once Tony was settled down, he could find an empty seat and suffer.

Bucky hoped the slightly perturbed vibe he was picking up was entirely his imagination, and not actually a manifestation of JARVIS’s displeasure over his lack of participation. Tony had just had him watch  _2001: A Space Odyssey_  and the idea of the A.I. turning against him was terrifying. He was so wrapped up in imagining the ways in which JARVIS could destroy him that he actually let off a little terrified shriek and jumped when a warm body collided with his own.

When he looked down, Tony’s arms were wrapped around his waist, and he could feel the smaller man’s breath against the nape of his neck.

“Why’re you all the way in here?” he asked blearily.

Bucky swallowed, and glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough, the other Avengers were still there, directly within Tony’s path. In fact, Steve was watching the two of them from his spot on the couch, giving him the patented “don’t be stupid” look. He turned away quickly, refocusing on his sandwich.

“Thought you’d be sick of me by now.”

“Won’t happen.” Tony shifted a little closer, his voice dropping to almost a whisper. “You’re my favorite.”

Which— _hello!_ —was news to him. “Yeah?” Bucky asked hesitantly as he pried Tony’s fingers loose so that he could turn around and wrap him up in a proper hug. Once he had Tony nestled in close, he took a deep breath and opened his mouth. “Careful. You’re gonna get my hopes up, talkin’ like that.”

Tony’s arms tightened around him as he brought his mouth closer to Bucky’s ear. “Not the bit of you I was hoping to get up, but still a good start.”

Once he was done laughing, Bucky cleared his throat. “So, ah, maybe we can try going on a date before our next snuggle.”

“We could go on one now,” Tony suggested, suddenly looking far more awake than he had just moments before. He grinned wolfishly when Bucky gawped at him. “I  _might_  have exaggerated some of my sleepiness as of late, but that’s your own fault for being so receptive, and snuggly.”

“You’re a sneak,” Bucky accused, but it was hard not to smile stupidly. “Now you’re definitely buying me dinner.”

Tony grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the kitchen, while Bucky continued to smile like a loon. “There’s a sandwich in there if anybody wants it,” he announced as he followed Tony to the elevator.

“Have fun,” Steve called, giving a wave while Clint raced Sam for the sandwich.

And while the date was amazing, the best part of it was once they were back home, and Tony stepped in close, bringing their mouths together for the sweetest kiss ever. “Wanna crash course in Advanced Snuggling?” he asked, and really, the only possible answer was to say yes before grabbing Tony’s ass, and giving him the dirtiest kiss ever.

**Author's Note:**

> In case you haven't already seen it over on tumblr, we're having a [Winteriron Holiday Exchange](http://winterironholidayexchange.tumblr.com/info)! You don't need to be on / use tumblr to participate. Check out the details, and maybe participate, ya know, so you can received winteriron gifts and wonderment. :D

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Cuddle Duty](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9238520) by [RsCreighton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RsCreighton/pseuds/RsCreighton)




End file.
